


speed racer

by spideywhiteys



Series: 365 Days of Naruto AUs [35]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Racing, ReadyPlayerOne AU, kankuro builds things as usual, kankuro possibly has a crush, karin is speedy, karin wins things which is less usual but she deserves it, not really romantic at all, very brief - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29210724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideywhiteys/pseuds/spideywhiteys
Summary: Kankuro isthis closeto winning first place on a bike of his own creation.
Relationships: Kankurou/Uzumaki Karin
Series: 365 Days of Naruto AUs [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086938
Kudos: 6





	speed racer

**Author's Note:**

> Day 35: ReadyPlayerOne AU / Kankuro + Karin

Kankuro’s bike hits the track in a spray of digital sparks. He whoops, the sound lost among the roar of cyber-vehicles thundering all around. This is what he lives for; the adrenaline, the  _ rush. _ He escapes into the digital word because it gives him to freest reign over his life possible — something that most are sorely lacking these days.

The Motor Prix is a bi-weekly event here, popular and consistent and a good way to rack up prizes in.  _ If you had any talent, that is. _ Kankuro pours his heart and soul into crafting, from weapons to vehicles to art commissions. He’s got a bit of a business going on that’s nothing to sniff at, no matter what his sister says. He’s found his niche and he’s staying, thank you very much. 

The bike he’s riding right now is one of his own custom mods, a sleek black number that he adores but can never leave alone for long. Always upgrading, always improving. He’s won first place in the Motor Prix about six times, second place twenty-four times — etcetera, etcetera. To put it frankly, he’s got experience under his belt. Enough that he’s confident he’ll  _ at least _ get in the top five every single time. 

But what he’s aiming for right  _ now  _ is first. That’s always the goal. He’s really feeling it today. The wind, the hum of the bike underneath him, the bright, electric adrenaline surging through his veins — yeah, he’s going to win first today. He just  _ knows _ it.

Others around him drive a range of vehicles, from cars to carts to bikes like his — except not  _ really _ like his, because his baby is one of a kind, thank you very much! The track moves from a smooth, looping road to a series of obstacles that take precision and skill to maneuver. The first time he ever drove in this race, he never made it past the first part, his poor first bike hadn’t had enough booster power to make some of the jumping obstacles. Now he just needs to flick his thumb along the series of buttons in his bike handles to initiate different boost levels, propellers and even a collapsible glider.

He already has another idea —  _ grappling hook. _ He hasn’t had any close calls with the edge of some of the trickier track sections, but it’s better safe than sorry. It would also be useful on its own. While this is  _ technically _ a bike he built for racing, he sometimes takes it out when he needs to travel long distances to mine resources. A grappling hook would definitely come in handy in the Craggy Canyon —

A bike zip by him.

He finds himself caught off guard for a moment, before flicking on one of the boosters and initiating a mad chase after the other rider. The paint job on their bike is a clash of lavender and cherry, the structural design thinner where Kankuro’s is more compact. He can’t make out too many details while they’re moving so fast, not even the gender of his opponent. He can only see that their riding jacket is a crisp white, and their helmet is the same lavender as the bike — with swirling gold and red patterns that Kankuro can’t make out.

_ Oh, no you don’t. _ He grits his teeth as they hit the final stretch.

Their bikes leave streaks of behind them, engines roaring, sparks flying. Kankuro feels everything so viscerally here, even though this is a world made of pixels and falsities. Every sensation is just a computer program jolting his brain, and the track underneath him doesn’t really exist. 

But he’s never felt so alive.

The final turn appears, and Kankuro is  _ this _ close to overtaking his rival. Their front wheels are neck and neck, his trusty  _ Crow _ not letting him down in the speed department. But then his opponent flicks something on their handle; a movement that he barely catches from the corner of his eye, so focused on the rapidly approaching finish line. 

From their bike shoot a spray of shimmering gold chains, knocking his bike to the side rather abruptly. His yelp is lost among the thunderous sound of machinery, and he loses precious speed trying to right his bike so he doesn’t spin out of control. It’s in vain, and his bike swirls and flips, momentum carrying him ass over feet over the finish line — in second place.

He groans from where he lays, his bike smoking lightly a few feet away, the wheels still spinning. It’s not actually painful, the game doesn’t really allow for that, but there’s a prodding sense of discomfort and his HP flashes to tell him he’s taken some damage.

The mysterious rider slides off their bike with cat-like grace, and Kankuro tilts his head from his position on the ground to get a better look — he thinks it’s a girl, just by the cut of her clothes.

She takes off her helmet, a curtain of wild crimson falling around her shoulders. Her grin is smug in the sharpest way, a knife in a bed of roses. An equally carmine gaze peers down at him, and his vision is filled with red, red, red. 

“That looks like it hurts.” She says, the winner’s flag appearing over her head.

_ KARIN is the First Place Victor! _

Kankuro can only gape. He might be in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow / Support me on [Tumblr!](https://spideyfoof.tumblr.com/)


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